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Should we prioritise the Premier league?

Should we prioritise the Premier league over Europe?


  • Total voters
    299

Gaz_Gammon

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2005
16,047
18,013
I fucking hate the Europa league so would happily throw it.
It's a drain on resources. We won't win and, if we stay in it long enough, we will end up playing on a Thursday away and a Saturday in the next game due to tv fixtures.

The golden nugget - a champions league place isn't so attractive when we're 2nd and going strong.


And the ground will open up and swallow up all the good players, and Poch will move to manage Man United and Levy will sell the club to Stan Krone, and Paul Merson will take over as manager and................




Happy fucking chappy............ain't ya.

The "we won't win it" attitude left the club the day Poch became manager thank fuck, just a few little dribbles left hanging on the end of the noses of those fans still full of defeatism.
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
And the ground will open up and swallow up all the good players, and Poch will move to manage Man United and Levy will sell the club to Stan Krone, and Paul Merson will take over as manager and................




Happy fucking chappy............ain't ya.

The "we won't win it" attitude left the club the day Poch became manager thank fuck, just a few little dribbles left hanging on the end of the noses of those fans still full of defeatism.
I pointed this out elsewhere. The only club anyone can think of that's won both the no-hoper league and their domestic league is Porto. They could probably rest most of their squad in their shitty domestic league and still walk it. This was when avb was in charge and they had Moutinho, Hulk and falcao in their side.
As far as I'm aware no one had won a decent domestic league title and the no-hoper league.

If it's one or the other I'd choose the premier league all day every day.
 

Everlasting Seconds

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2014
14,914
26,616
When we're in the champions league we'll get the benefit of more favorable fixture patterns. Saturday Tuesday Sunday Wednesday etc.
Playing EL now is not only about Thursdays and Sundays and Tuesdays. The opponents we will be up against in EL moving forward can be prime experience for a young squad i need of top tier European matching.
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
Playing EL now is not only about Thursdays and Sundays and Tuesdays. The opponents we will be up against in EL moving forward can be prime experience for a young squad i need of top tier European matching.
I don't really give a shit. I'd rather we go balls out to win the title in the next 13 games then dick around in a 2nd tier cup hoping to win 9 games to win it and end up 5th in the league.

I'm fed up with the "cup team" tag. If we want to be big time we need league titles not a cup win once a decade or so.
 

eViL

Oliver Skipp's Dad
May 15, 2004
5,840
7,960
Well, Harry would, because he has no idea what squad rotation looks like.
 

Everlasting Seconds

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2014
14,914
26,616
I don't really give a shit. I'd rather we go balls out to win the title in the next 13 games then dick around in a 2nd tier cup hoping to win 9 games to win it and end up 5th in the league.

I'm fed up with the "cup team" tag. If we want to be big time we need league titles not a cup win once a decade or so.
Statistically speaking, there seems to be a correlation between PL winners and winning at least minor titles in the preceding season. Hence, if we don't win the PL now, god runs in other competitions will prepare us for next season.
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
Statistically speaking, there seems to be a correlation between PL winners and winning at least minor titles in the preceding season. Hence, if we don't win the PL now, god runs in other competitions will prepare us for next season.
I'm happy to go for the league and fa cup.
I think that's more than do-able
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
Win a couple of games and now we are expected to do the double :D okay mate (n)
In the context of this thread - should we throw the Europa league and push for the title?

In my opinion if people want us to win a tin pot it should be the fa cup and not the Europa league.
Geddit?
 

Goodwins

New Member
Feb 10, 2016
12
32
I don't think its good to be throwing any competitions away

Even if we focus on Europa and win then finish 5th in the prem the prize is exactly the same, champions league football and prize money.

You wouldn't buy a box of 6 eggs throw three away as your hoping the other three might be nicer
 

spox

New Member
Jun 9, 2003
29
96
If you think about it we are currently in 4 competitions:
– The race for the title
– The race for top 4
– The Europa League
– The FA Cup
Given the potential rewards and the likelihood of success we have to prioritise the league. It would be great to win it but given where we are to finish outside the top 4 now will be hard to take. The FA Cup is manageable given that it's played at weekends. If we get past the 5th round we should keep giving it our best shot. The Europa has to be the thing that gives. There's loads of games, its lots of travel and its Thursdays. Potch played very strong teams in Europe pre-Chrstmas but I think we'll have to play more of a 2nd string option from here out. In particular that will mean resting Harry. IF we get to the semi-finals we can reassess depending on our progress elsewhere. Its a nice problem to have but we do need to manage things carefully.
 

mkkid

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2004
2,035
452
Kids and fringe player in the cups,I'd even play the u21s.Its out best chance since 87.
 

Disconosebleed

Well-Known Member
Dec 22, 2005
2,553
2,569
If you think about it we are currently in 4 competitions:
– The race for the title
– The race for top 4
– The Europa League
– The FA Cup
Given the potential rewards and the likelihood of success we have to prioritise the league. It would be great to win it but given where we are to finish outside the top 4 now will be hard to take. The FA Cup is manageable given that it's played at weekends. If we get past the 5th round we should keep giving it our best shot. The Europa has to be the thing that gives. There's loads of games, its lots of travel and its Thursdays. Potch played very strong teams in Europe pre-Chrstmas but I think we'll have to play more of a 2nd string option from here out. In particular that will mean resting Harry. IF we get to the semi-finals we can reassess depending on our progress elsewhere. Its a nice problem to have but we do need to manage things carefully.

You're over-complicating things. We're in three competitions.

I'd fuck the Europa off for sure. Given the fact that the Premier League is both the bigger competition and the one we're best placed to win, and the possibility that continuing to play a full-strength side in both could hamper our chances of winning either, it's a no-brainer really. The Europa League is a secondary competition, which in previous years has been right for us as our best realistic chance of winning a major competition and of qualifying for the Champions League. As of right now, it is neither.

I'd be happy enough to bin the FA Cup too. I don't think it's strictly necessary if we sack the Europa as it won't clash with league games, but if it gives us even the tiniest boost to our league form then I wouldn't mind getting knocked out.
 

mkkid

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2004
2,035
452
If we win at city the club , will really have no option but to prortise the league...
 

Spurger King

can't smile without glue
Jul 22, 2008
43,881
95,147
The FA Cup should be the lowest of our priorities, tbh. Especially now that it seems likely we'll get top 4.

I can understand that viewpoint, but I think it's probably influenced by age and nationality. You're in your early 20s aren't you? You've probably experienced an increasingly diminished allure of the FA Cup in the last few years, and being in the US you probably don't get the full sense of how hyped the cup can be (or at least used to be). As it is now, it's certainly a shadow of what it once was, so I don't blame anyone for suggesting it should be our lowest priority.

However, for me I still remember the mystique that used to be associated with Cup Final day. The build-up would last for weeks, then on the day it would get round the clock focus. Not in an over the top SSN way, but with people holding it in genuine reverence. Plus it was the first cup I ever saw us win, at a time when we held the record for the most FA Cup wins. This club used to have a great tradition in that tournament, and I would love to see us win it again.

The Europa League just doesn't have the same appeal to me. It's a weird hybrid of the UEFA cup, the Cup Winners Cup, and the CL rejects.

We need to be able to handle CL, PL, CL weeks. So we should use these as practice for that.

I don't really buy that argument. Most CL clubs have more money to have stronger squads, and significantly more motivation to focus on European football.

Plus, It is absolutely imperative that we stay in the competition for the Premier Leagues sake, which in effect is actually our sake too. Especially since we're fighting every season to make CL. It is important that the PL retains that 4th CL spot as long as possible. We likely wont lose it this year but next year we probably will which means that when we open the new stadium, getting 4th wont even be enough and we'll have to get 3rd. It will just be that much more difficult to really progress onto that next level.

It is a concern. Guess we'll just have to win the CL next season.[/QUOTE]
 
Last edited:

dagraham

Well-Known Member
Sep 20, 2005
19,115
46,080
We can still put out a very competitive team in the EL. However, playing the likes of Dier, Kane, Toby and Alli constantly in all competitions will have an effect on league form eventually, of that I have no doubt.

If we continue to be in the title race until the end of the season then we will have to prioritise. We'd be foolish not to.
 
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